title: Changes in interleukin 18 in the retinas of Otsuka long-evans Tokushima fatty rats, a model of human type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Recent findings have implicated the involvement of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a part of the Th1 cytokine response, in the retinal inflammation of diabetic patients. In the present study, we investigate whether hyperglycemia relates to the expression of interleukin 18 (IL-18), and leads to the production of IFN-γ in the retinas of Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Plasma blood glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels in 60-week-old OLETF rats, in which the development of diabetes mellitus was observed, were significantly higher than in 60-week-old Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats used as normal controls. The expression levels of genes that cause IL-18 activation (IL-18, IL-18 receptor and caspase-1) in OLETF rats were increased at 60 weeks of age, and the levels of IL-18 and IFN-γ in 60-week-old OLETF rat retinas were also higher than in 60-week-old LETO rats. Furthermore, IFN-γ levels increased with increasing IL-18 levels in the retinas of OLETF rats, and a close relationship was observed between the levels of IL-18 and HbA1c. The rapid increase in plasma glucose levels following the oral administration of glucose solution (3.0 g/kg) did not affect the IL-18 and IFN-γ levels in the retinas of LETO rats, whereas the levels in the retinas of OLETF rats increased significantly. In conclusion, the expression of IL-18 is increased in the retinas of OLETF rats, and chronic hyperglycemia may accelerate the release of IL-18 and IFN-γ from inflammatory cells in retinal blood vessel. It is possible that IFN-γ production via IL-18 in the retinas of 60-week-old OLETF rats is caused by hyperglycemia, and plays a role in the inflammation of the OLETF rat retinas.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Kinki University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D053724:Receptors, Interleukin-18 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012173:Retinitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; D053724:Receptors, Interleukin-18; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D020170:Caspase 1; D005947:Glucose